We’ve seen the trope everywhere. It’s said by the quirky, nerdy girl on the sitcom; the athletic girl in the movie; the awkward, shy girls, the brazen and outspoken girls, the smart girls, the strong girls, the girls who go hunting, the girls who drink whiskey, the girls who work out, the girls who wear chucks, the girls who rock or rap…
We hear them all say, “I’m Not Like Other Girls.”
It’s amazing just how many different types of girls “Aren’t Like Other Girls.” And it’s almost like there are all kinds of girls, who have all kinds of traits, who all have depth and personality that can’t be summed up in a couple words. So it’s almost like femininity and the definition of womanhood is not a homogeneous cluster of identities neatly categorized into a single box to be avoided at all costs.
It’s almost like there are no “Other Girls.”
Who are these hypothetical, nonexistent “Other Girls,” anyway? And why are we so eager to prove that we’re Not Like Them?